The Dey surname seems to have come from a few sources: it was an occupational name for a dairy maid in some parts of England and Scotland; it was a derivation from David; and in some cases the name came from the word eye (d'eye). The same source claims that name was could have been an occupational name as in 'the deye' or 'day,' a maid, a dairy-maid. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6) Over in Normandy pre-Conquest times, we found "St. John de Day, near St. Lo, in the Cotentin [Peninsula.] " [2]CITATION[CLOSE]The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X) This peninsula is now known as Cherbourg Peninsula.

Dey Early Origins

The surname Dey was first found in Somerset where one of the first records of the name was Leofgife oa Dagean c. 1055. Godiua Daia was listed c. 1095 in Suffolk and Aluric Dai was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Buckinghamshire in 1196. A few years later, Ralph Deie was among those listed in the Register of the Freemen of Leicester in 1211. [3]CITATION[CLOSE]Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X) The YorkshirePoll Tax Rolls of 1379 list the following: Willelmus Dey; Ricardus Dey; and Thomas le Dey. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)

Dey Spelling Variations

Dey Spelling Variations

Dey Early History

Dey Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dey research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1269, 1277, 1379, 1522, 1584, 1529, 1596, 1501, 1556, 1537, 1538, 1574, 1638, 1605, 1673, 1610, 1668, 1639, 1639 and 1649 are included under the topic Early Dey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dey Early Notables (pre 1700)

Dey Early Notables (pre 1700)

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Day (Daye) (c. 1522-1584), an English Protestant printer; William Day (1529-1596), an English clergyman, Provost of Eton College, Bishop of Winchester; George Day (ca.1501-1556), Bishop of Chichester, Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University (1537-1538); John Day (1574-1638?), an English dramatist from Norfolk...

Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dey In Ireland

Dey In Ireland

Some of the Dey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Dey, who landed in Virginia in 1664 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)

Dey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J L Dey, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)

Susanna Dey, aged 23, who arrived in New York, NY in 1856 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)

Joost Dey, aged 23, who arrived in New York, NY in 1856 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)

Richard Dey, who landed in Iowa in 1888 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)

John Dey, aged 34, a farmer, who arrived in New Plymouth aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850

Contemporary Notables of the name Dey (post 1700)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dey (post 1700)

Joseph C. "Joe" Dey Jr. (1907-1991), American golf administrator, first Commissioner of the PGA Tour (1969-1974), eponym of the Joe Dey Award, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame

Susan Dey (b. 1952), born Susan Hallock Smith, American Golden Globe winning actress, probably best known for her role as Laurie Partridge, on the 1970s sitcom The Partridge Family, and as Grace Van Owen, on L.A. Law, from 1986 to 1992

Theunis Dey, American politician, Member of New Jersey State Council from Bergen County, 1779-81 [5]CITATION[CLOSE]The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

^ Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)

^ The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

The Dey Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Dey Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.